Saturday, July 12, 2008

Okay, so I tend to try out lots of different crafts, mostly trying to figure out what technique works best for what effect.

I'm also a lot more into gamer culture than I used to be.

This inevitably led me to wanting to cross-stitch game sprites, since it's perfectly adapted to that. However, my eyes are bad and Aida cloth is hard for me to see. BUT I finally found a solution- I found on super clearance these needlepoint purse kits. Basically, purses with flaps sewn on that were an open needlepoint mesh.

Mesh is easier to see and count on. So...I took the opportunity to try some sprite stitching.

Here's the most basic, the mario one:

I do like the red shrooms playing off the red fabric of the purse.

Also did a Metroid one:

And finally, Kirby:

That one is my fav. The background is just made up, but based on the background you see during that little launching platform bonus stage in the first NES game. The reason I really like this one though is that I got some wooden beads and painted them up as little Kirby's and incorporated them into the handles (see 'em in the picture?)

I like details.

Oh, and that handle is not ribbon, it's actually holographic plastic lacing that I crocheted really loosely. Looks weird, but feels really cool, kinda like those gelly sandles we wore in the 80's. Remember those?

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Several years ago, I started a Dr. Who scarf. This was when I was first tip-toeing into knitting. I could cast on, and ...knit. Thazzit.

I got 8 feet into this scarf before I realized I'd made a mistake and made it far, far too wide. As dense as it was it couldn't be folded in half, and it was about 1.5 feet wide. Not good for a scarf.

So, I had to take that one off the needles and try again. After 8 feet of scarf. On size 6 needles. *sob*

But I gave it another go, casting on with size 8 needles for a looser drape. And eventually...it was completed. Here it is on Ed, the lucky recipient. And no, it wasn't a surprise...like I could hide working on a project this big in an apartment.

Now, this is sort of a looser interpretation. Partly because I was working off instructions from the BBC which called for DK wool...and I wanted to use worsted weight acrylic. Hey, this much yarn, I'm going with the cheap stuff. So I had to fudge the numbers. This meant I ended up with fewer, wider stripes. But ya know? It still looks like a Dr. Who scarf.

It also looks different because you can't find such funky colors anymore as the original was in. I mean, that color of yellow/orange whatever hasn't been made since the 70s. The scarf was for Ed, who picked out the colors, so at least he's happy with it. We also swiped out the gray section for a dark blue just because it seemed to go better with the whole thing.

So...yeah, it ain't a exact replica. But...it still looks like a Dr. Who scarf. And it's 15 feet long. I ended it short to allow for some stretch (you KNOW a knit scarf that long is gonna grow longer with time) but...still. That's a lot of knitting.

Pretty epic for my first knitting adventure, eh?

Oh, and I've done other stuff along the way, like learn to purl, increase and decrease. But this was still my first project.